Where Do Rights Come From?
by Ari Armstrong | 4:43 pm, July 10, 2010 | 4 Comments
We in America routinely invoke our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But where do our rights come from? Here I overview the main false theories of rights before briefly summarizing the theory of natural rights as articulated most forcefully by Ayn Rand. (See Rand's essay, "Man's Rights.")
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July 11th, 2010 @ 8:32 am
Ari, can one have a right without another having an obligation? If so, where do my obligations come from?
July 11th, 2010 @ 10:37 am
Elliot, sure they can. My right to free speech imposes no obligation on you, does it? Nor does my right to keep and bear arms, right?
July 11th, 2010 @ 11:55 am
Laura,
Your right to free speech means that I have the obligation not to attack you based on what you say. Your right to keep and bear arms means that I have the obligation not to seize your arms from you. Both involve obligation. The question is if neither god nor society is the source of this obligation, then what is?
July 11th, 2010 @ 1:31 pm
Naturally, I knew a contorted definition of “obligation” could be used to make the point. I was just hoping for the best. If you want “obligation” defined as refraining from physically attacking someone, I won’t bother with a debate on this point.
This stuff is all discussed in basic texts. Maybe Ari would like to have a go. Not me.